MAIL to launch five-year plan for saffron development

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) will launch a five-year plan for development of saffron cultivation and harvest in the next year, the ministry’s spokesman Lotfullah Rashid said.

He said they will distribute 500,000 tons of saffron follicles to farmers in 30 provinces of the country.

Two big laboratories will be built for saffron quality testing and 10 saffron processing centers will be built next solar year based on the plan, he added.

“We have planned a training program for 12,000 farmers and government officials for the next year to expand the saffron cultivation and harvest. We will organize exhibitions to boost saffron market,” he stated.

Mohammad Yasin Farahmand manager at agricultural institute of science academy said government’s efforts are not sufficient for agriculture development in the country.

“Saffron is produced sufficiently in the country but it is not introduced to the market. People still lack the required awareness about saffron. We need to make them aware about benefits of saffron,” he said.

MAIL statistics show that more than six tons of saffron was harvested this year which is double the crop yield compared to the last year.

One factor of the Afghan conflict is the Afghan government's failure to maintain a balance in its foreign policy. The imbalanced foreign policies of governments have paved the ground for Afghanistan to turn into a battlefield of proxy wars.